About the Book: (From Goodreads): In this tightly wound story, Lo Blacklock, a journalist who writes for a travel magazine, has just been given the assignment of a lifetime: a week on a luxury cruise with only a handful of cabins. At first, Lo’s stay is nothing but pleasant: the cabins are plush, the dinner parties are sparkling, and the guests are elegant. But as the week wears on, frigid winds whip the deck, gray skies fall, and Lo witnesses what she can only describe as a nightmare: a woman being thrown overboard. The problem? All passengers remain accounted for—and so, the ship sails on as if nothing has happened, despite Lo’s desperate attempts to convey that something (or someone) has gone terribly, terribly wrong…

With surprising twists and a setting that proves as uncomfortably claustrophobic as it is eerily beautiful, Ruth Ware offers up another intense read.

My Review: I am a little late to the party as The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware came out in hard cover in the summer of 2016. For whatever reason, I heard a lot about The Woman in Cabin 10, but didn’t pick it up. This could be due to the fact that during that time, everything was compared to Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. Ruth Ware is a new to me author, with The Woman in Cabin 10 being her sophomore book.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware comes out of the gate strong with the main character, Laura “Lo” Blacklock, being a victim of a break in, which understandably leaves her distressed. Lo is a travel journalist and needs to leave for a cruise on a new luxury boat called the Aurora, despite the recent break in. Lo struggles on the boat with feeling safe, which leads to her drinking too much.

One night she is awoken by a noise, she believes she sees a body being thrown overboard. In typical mystery fashion, a murder happens with a witness, but everyone else denies it. So did Lo really see this or was it a dream as a result of her drinking? All the passengers are accounted for and the cruise staff begin to think Lo is making things up. Lo is unreliable narrator with her drinking and history of mental health issues which adds to the confusion as to what is real.

The creep factor for me in The Woman in Cabin 10 was the setting! A cruise ship in the middle of the sea and the sense of claustrophobia was very real for me. ARGH! Lo is certain a murder has happened, but she is trapped on a cruise ship with no way to contact the authorities. She is unable to get ahold of her family or boyfriend due to not having internet access while out at sea. I hate the feeling of being TRAPPED!

I listened to the audio of The Woman in Cabin 10, I loved the pace of the book and Lo seems even more unreliable when you listen to her. There are many characters in The Woman in Cabin 10 and they are all pretty well developed. I loved all the accents in the audio book! You are never sure if you can believe Lo. The suspense builds, twists happen and things start to fall into place. The end had me on the edge of my seat. The very last sentence or so of the book, made for the perfect ending! I was very satisfied with the ending. I finished The Woman in the Cabin 10 on my road trip to Duluth and give it 4 stars.

About the Book: (From Goodreads): On paper, Chris Brennan looks perfect. He's applying for a job as a high school government teacher, he's ready to step in as an assistant baseball coach, and his references are impeccable. But everything about Chris Brennan is a lie.

Susan Sematov is proud of her son Raz, a high school pitcher so athletically talented that he's being recruited for a full-ride scholarship to a Division I college, with a future in major-league baseball. But Raz’s father died only a few months ago, leaving her son in a vulnerable place where any new father figure might influence him for good, or evil.

Heather Larkin is a struggling single mother who lives for her son Justin's baseball games. But Justin is shy, and Heather fears he is being lured down a dark path by one of his teammates, a young man from an affluent family whose fun-loving manner might possibly conceal his violent plans.

Mindy Kostis succumbs to the pressure of being a surgeon's wife by filling her days with social events and too many gin and tonics. But she doesn’t know that her husband and her son, Evan, are keeping secrets from her – secrets that might destroy all of them. At the center of all of them is Chris Brennan. Why is he there? What does he want? And what is he willing to do to get it?

Enthralling and suspenseful, One Perfect Lie is an emotional thriller and a suburban crime story that will have readers riveted up to the shocking end, with killer twists and characters you won’t soon forget.

My Review: Right from the beginning of One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline, I had an uneasy feeling about new school teacher Chris Brennan. I had so many questions at the beginning, Who is this Chris Brennan? Why is he is interested in these boys? Why is he trying to turn the boys against themselves and gain their trust? I didn’t like the way the story was going. He was stalking a couple of students and now tries to befriend them. The three boys from the base ball team, Raz, Justin and Evan are his main focus. Chris Brennan is definitely not who the other teachers think he is. Will he be able to keep up his charade to complete the steps of his plan??

Raz, Evan and Justin are friends on the high school baseball team. Raz is impulsive and a bit of a live wire. His father died within the last year. His mother, Susan is struggling to keep her family together and understand her sons. Then you have Heather, single mom and her son, Justin. Justin is a sweet young man. Heather tires so hard to keep her son in his school and maintain a home life for Justin. She works very hard to provide what little she can for her little family. Finally, we have Mindy, everyone thinks she has it all. The wife of a surgeon with a very popular son, Evan. Life isn’t always what is seems. What possibly could be going on in this nice little suburban town?

My uneasy feelings about Chris Brennan change about 1/2 through the book as the twists in the story start to be revealed. Secrets are revealed, crimes are realized, and everything comes together with a sense of urgency. Once it starts to unravel you will not be able to put down, One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline. I found myself actually holding my breathe. For me, One Perfect Lie was slow to grab my attention, but had me as the action began. As always, I think I will just read a few chapters with my morning coffee before going to work. ARGH!! Lisa Scottoline, you got me, I couldn’t put One Perfect Lie down and arrived at work later than planned!

This is my first time reading a book by Lisa Scottoline. I have already loaded Most Wanted onto my kindle! I give One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline 4 stars. Any book that makes me late for work gets a 4 out of 5 rating from me! If you are a fan of Jodi Picoult, I think you will really enjoy One Prefect Lie by Lisa Scottoline.

Happy Reading! **Disclosure – One Perfect Lie by Lisa Scottoline was received from St Martins Publishing through Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair review. All opinions are my own. This post contains affiliate links